Life and Crimes with Andrew Rule

Tales of the kingpin and the crooked cop

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist Neil Mercer joins the show to talk about uncovering extraordinary new stories about one of Australia's most notorious corrupt cops. Buy N...

Catching the Ascot Vale rapist

26 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT. In 1993, Christopher Clarence Hall terrorised Melbourne's inner north west. In a short, sharp episode, Andrew Rule shows...

Three black widows and one a shade of grey

19 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Rule outlines the cases of three women found guilty over the deaths of their husbands, and one who wasn't. Subscribe to Crime X+ to hear episo...

The kids are not all alright

12 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Youth crime is nothing new, but Andrew Rule argues that in this latest outbreak, young offenders have shown themselves particularly willing to do part...

BONUS EPISODE: The last woman to hang

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jen Kelly, host of the In Black and White podcast joins Andrew Rule to discuss the tragic case of Jean Lee, who was executed for murder in 1951. To li...

Inside the Wonnangatta investigation

05 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Greg Lynn is found guilty of murdering one missing camper, Carol Clay, Andrew Rule goes behind the scenes on the investigation that led police to t...

A harrowing crime and a quest for justice

28 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT. On Melbourne Cup day 1976, a trip to see some live music turned into an agonising ordeal for two teenage schoolgirls.And...

BONUS EPISODE: The Missing Campers trial - the verdict

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The jury has returned in the trial of Gregory Lynn. Andrew Rule is joined by court reporter Miles Proust to go over what the court found, and what the...

Inside Cocaine Inc.

21 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Investigative journalist Stephen Drill joins Andrew Rule to outline his new podcast series examining the tangled web of the international drug trade....

BONUS EPISODE: The Missing Campers trial - deliberations

19 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The jury has retired to consider their verdict in the trial of Gregory Lynn. Court reporter Miles Proust joins Andrew Rule to give a short report on e...

Peter Dupas: Born wired wrongly

14 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT. One of the most sinister killers this country has seen spent much of his life slipping and sliding through the justice sy...

BONUS EPISODE: The Missing Campers trial - closings

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Rule is joined by Laura Placella and Miles Proust to talk about the final remarks by the prosecution and the defence, as well as the the testim...

Lewis Moran's last stand

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Just days after hit man “Benji” Veniamin was shot in Carlton, Lewis Moran took a disturbing phone call as he sat at the bar of the Brunswick Club ...

BONUS EPISODE: The Missing Campers trial - Record of interview

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The last seven days in the trial of Gregory Lynn have been dominated by the jury hearing his police record of interview. Guest host Laura Placella and...

Q and A: Armed robbers, Mr Cruel and colourful racing identities

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In our latest Q and A special, Andrew answers your questions about who has the best crooks between Sydney and Melbourne, crime in the '80s, and man...

BONUS EPISODE: The Missing Campers trial - the forensics

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The trial of Gregory Lynn is in its third week as the jury hears from a raft of experts giving evidence about guns, teeth, insects and more. Guest hos...

The fat envelope: Part 2

24 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After being brought in to a ring-in crew by crooked racehorse owner Rick Renzella, jockey Steve Wood found his world falling apart. Andrew Rule tells...

BONUS EPISODE: The Missing Campers trial - Hill and Clay's affair

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the trial of Gregory Lynn moves into its second week, the court hears more evidence - including details of the relationship between Russell Hill an...

The fat envelope: Part 1

17 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Steve Wood was a young jockey with stars in his eyes. But a crooked horse owner, and one fateful decision, would send him down a long and dark path. S...

BONUS EPISODE: The Missing Campers trial - murder or mishap?

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Yesterday was the first day of one of Victoria's most anticipated court cases: the trial of Gregory Lynn, who is accused of murdering two campers in n...

Defending a serial killer on death row

10 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT. Thirty years ago this week, murder John Wayne Gacy was executed. Andrew Rule talks with Karen Conti, the lawyer who repre...

The sins of the father?

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When Louise Faulkner and her daughter Charmian went missing in 1980, all signs pointed to an unspeakable possibility. Subscribe to Crime X+ to hea...

Cowboys of the coast

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Abalone poaching has plagued Australian waters for decades. Now a mix of triad money and local divers is threatening entire ecosystems. Subscribe to ...

Introducing: The Mushroom Cook

12 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew sits down with Brooke Grebert-Craig, host of a new podcast series about the alleged South Gippsland mushroom poisoning mystery. Find out more ...

Benji: Part 2

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last episode, we described Andrew 'Benji' Veniamin's rise through the underworld. This week, we describe his death, the trial of Mick Gatto, and Gatto...

Benji: Part1

29 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's 20 years since the death of violent hitman Andrew 'Benji' Venaimin. In the first of a two-part series, Andrew Rule looks at the rise of the you...

The omerta of the fruit stalls

22 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The recent death of Melbourne fruit and vegetable wholesaler John Latorre has Andrew Rule looking at the murky world of the Victorian mafia. Subscrib...

BONUS EPISODE: Holly's hell

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At age 29, Holly Deane-Johns found herself serving seven horrific years in prison in Bangkok. She talks with Andrew Rule about how she survived the...

Seven shots from Cliff Lockwood

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Rule charts the rise and dramatic fall of a recently deceased ex-cop turned crook. Subscribe to Crime X+ to hear episodes early and ad free, u...

Searching for Julie Annn

08 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist Helen Thomas joins the show to talk about her next podcast series looking at the disappearance of Julie Ann Garciacelay. Subscribe to Crime...

A glimmer of hope for the vanished

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While the desperate search for Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy continues, Andrew Rule outlines extraordinary cases where the missing have been foun...

More tales of the Dodger

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We've told you of the many sins of Roger Rogerson. This week we give more stories about this complex character. Subscribe to Crime X+ to hear episode...

Remembering Luke

16 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When a young boy was brutally murdered by his own father 10 years ago, his mother Rosie Batty quickly emerged as one of the most powerful voices ag...

RE-BROADCAST: The many sins of Roger Rogerson

09 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With Andrew on assignment and away from the studio, we thought we'd re-release a two-part special we originally produced in 2019 about the life and cr...

A Q and A addendum

02 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In a short and sharp episode, Andrew answers a few more questions from the mailbag about arson and armed gangs. Subscribe to Crime X+ to hear episode...

The author and the 'schoolgirl'

26 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rebecca Hazel's path to writing started when she first met the 'schoolgirl' at the centre of the mystery made famous by the Teacher's Pet podc...

Universe swallows a street fightin' man

19 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Rule tells the real life story of the man who inspired the scallywag criminal stepfather character in Netflix's new series Boy Swallows Univers...

Summer Q and A: Part 2

12 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew answers more questions from the mailbag, including telling the story of producing the first Chopper book. Subscribe to Crime X+ to hear episod...

Summer Q and A: Part 1

05 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the first part of our summer Q and A sessions, Andrew answers your questions about dangerous reporting, DNA evidence, and the last man flogged in V...

2023: a year of living dangerously

29 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Between arson attacks, grave desecrations and brazen daylight assassinations, it's been a big, bad year for Melbourne's organised crime world. Andrew ...

Death by whisper

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT. Bradley Lyons' tough life came to a brutal end at the hands of drug-addled thugs. The fact that it came after a rumor cam...

They got the lot

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Among the many misdemeanors in the colourful life of Graham ‘The Munster’ Kinniburgh, was one of the greatest bank heists this country has ever s...

Badness and hope - featuring Gary Jubelin

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The host of the hit podcast series I Catch Killers has been investigating a new style of prison that aims to break the cycle of recidivism. He join...

Bravery in blue

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT: From crash tackling a madman to having a shotgun jammed against his head, Les O'Hagan's police career was not without inc...

Demolition Dermie

24 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the pantheon of Melbourne criminal law, few shine brighter than Dermot Dann KC. Andrew Rule charts his rise - and the murder case that cemented his...

The great Melbourne Ponzi scandal

17 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The city has been gripped by the toxic fallout from what is still emerging as one of Australia’s biggest fraud schemes. Andrew Rule examines the ma...

The Californian girl

10 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT. It’s all but certain one of two violent men who accompanied a crime writer to Julie Ann Garciacelay’s North Melbourn...

The ones that got away

27 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

History is littered with stories of lawmen catching their quarry. Here are some stories where, for whatever reason, that didn't happen. Have a questi...

Handshakes, hotdogs and handguns

27 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A meeting in a fast food joint in Melbourne's inner north may have inadvertently ended a bloody gangland war. But not before it sparked bloodshed all ...

The tobacco wars

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What seems to be a minor way to dodge a luxury tax, may instead be fanning the flames of a new gangland battle. Andrew Rule explains. Like the show? ...

Life and Times - Episode 3 - The innocent and the guilty

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Rule speaks with Olivia Jenkins on the complexities of writing about the accused, the victims and the families involved in crime cases. If you ...

Life and Times - Episode 2 - Reporting trauma

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Rule has covered several horrific events in his time in the newsroom. He talks with crime writer Olivia Jenkins about reporting on disasters. I...

Life and Times - Episode 1 - Introducing Life and Times

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In a new miniseries from Life and Crimes, Andrew Rule sits down with young crime journalist Olivia Jenkins to talk about how the job of reporting has ...

The Rohypnol brothers

09 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trigger warning: this episode contains discussions of sexual assault and may be distressing for some listeners. Listener discretion is advised. The Ja...

Too deadly to let live

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The story of Gavin 'Capable' Preston, a notorious Melbourne criminal whose extreme violence inevitably caught up with him. Get episodes of Life & ...

Worms in the Apple Isle - part 3

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Did imprisoned child killer James Ryan O'Neill take the Beaumont children in 1966? Get episodes of Life & Crimes a week early and ad-free, as well...

Worms in the Apple Isle part 2

22 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Shane Barker was killed in his driveway in 2009 but the case went cold. For a decade, his former parents-in-law lived a quiet life in rural Tasmania, ...

Worms in the Apple Isle part 1

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Self-described 'mad scientist' Rory Jack Thompson decided to make his wife vanish by cutting her into tiny pieces. The grotesque crime committed exact...

When lightning hit the Higgins house

08 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Higgins family was filled with media high-flyers. But when a stranger entered their lives, a storm started brewing. Get episodes of Life & Cri...

Death in the driveway

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When concreter Salvatore Rotiroti was found bashed to death outside his Geelong home, it opened up fractures in his sprawling family. And it left a s...

Dying Rose

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT. Reporter Douglas Smith joins the show to outline his new podcast series about investigations into the deaths of indigeno...

BONUS EPISODE The "human glove" murder mystery

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT. In the depths of the 1930s depression, a grusome find shocked the nation. And it would take a true detective and some bra...

Echoes of the Great Train Robbery

18 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's been 60 years since perhaps the most famous heist in the world. Andrew Rule tells the story of the crime and its links very close to home. Like t...